Horizontal conveyer.



No. 708,698. Patented Sept. 9, I902.

J. m. DODGE. nomzoum. couvsven.

(Application filed Jan. 8, 1901.)

2 sums-sheet I.

(No Model.)

- m: NORRIS warns do. mum-Um, WAIHINGYUM, D. 64

Patented Sept. 9, I902.

' J. M. DODGE. I HUBIZUNTAL CUNVEYER.

(Application filed Jan. 8, 1901.\ I

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. DODGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LINK BELT ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

HORIZONTAL CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,698, dated September 9, 1902. Application filed January 8, 1901- Serial No. 42,533, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: junction of the bottom d and the back plate Be it known that I, JAMES M. DODGE, a citid and the bracket E is attached at the point zen of the United States, residing in Philawhere the front plate d unites with the botdelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain tom cl. This bracket is pivoted to the chain 5 Improvements in Horizontal-Conveyors, of B. In'the present instanceI have shown two which the following is a specification. brackets on each link of the chain, and the, My invention relates to certain improvetwo brackets are secured to a single bucket, ments in endless-chain conveyers of the type as it will be understood that there is a bucket in which the buckets or carriers are pivoted in the present instance for each link of the to to the chainand so arranged that they can chain, although in some instances there may be discharged at any predetermined point. he an intermediate link to which a bucket is The object of my invention is to simplify not pivoted; but for compactness I prefer the the conveyers of this type and to support the construction illustrated in the drawings. In chain throughout its length, the support for the present instance the link of' the chain is t5 the chain being the main support for the square in cross-section, as shown in Figs. 3. buckets, and to provide means whereby the and 6, and I mount on this square link a bushbuckets can be turned on thechain as a pivot ing e, made in halves, each having tongues to discharge at any predetermined point. which are coupled together, as shown. in Fig. In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is 6, and upon which the bearing E is pivoted. 20 a plan View of sufficient of an endless-chain The two halves of the bushing are first placed conveyer to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 in the bearing E and then slipped onto the is a side view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section square link. The sides 61 of the buckets are on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is aview simiparallel for a certain distance andare conlar to Fig. 3, illustrating the bucket in the traeted at the forward end, so as leave'aspace 25 discharge position; and Figs. 5and6are views x between the outer end of each bucket to of details of my invention. enable the conveyer to turn corners. The

A A are two rails upon which travel the amount of space required will depend upon wheels I) I), mounted on the endless chain B. the abruptness of the turn.

A is a rail upon which travels the wheel 0, In this type of conveyer the travel is in- 0 carried bythe bracket O,securedtothebucket tended to be upon a horizontal plane, the re- D. The rails A A A support the conveyer turn run traveling in the same plane as the as it is traversed. carrying run, although in some instances the The endless chain I prefer to use is what is conveyer may be slightly inclined and the known as the monobar chain, being made plane of the return run may be slightly below 35 of a series of single links I), connected toor above the plane of the carrying run; but gether by hinge-joints b so that the chain where possible it is preferable to have the two can readily turn corners, but is otherwise runs on the same plane. rigid. Depending from the head of each link The upper edge of each side d of ealch-bucket is a bearing 11 in which the axle b of the is curved on a radius taken from the chain as 40 wheelb is mounted. Thus the chain Bis supthe center, and on one side of each bucketis o ported at intervals throughout its length by a hoodf, which overlaps the edge of the adthe rails A. In fact, in the present instance joining bucket, and the upper surface of this each link of thechain has its support. I .hood is inclined, as shown, so that any mate- ThebucketsDarepreferablymadeasshown rial which is discharged from a hopper or 45 in Figs. 1 and 3, each being quadrangular in chute striking the hood will be deflected into shape and having an inclined front plate (I, either one or the other of the buckets. By united to the bottom plate d at a point diusing this hood a hopper from which'the marectly above the chain B, and the back plate terial continuously flows may be used withcl is inclined on the same line as the front out the liability of any material passing to 50 plate d. The bracket 0 is attached at the wastebetween the buckets. 10o

By constructing the buckets in the manner shown the weight is distributed between the rails A A and the rail A, the major portion of the load, however, being carried by the two rails A A through the chain B; but in this manner I can construct a conveyer that can be traversed rapidly without the liability of tipping and one which can be readily tipped, however, when desired.

I will now describe the mechanism for discharging the bucket at any point throughout the length of the conveyer.

On each side of the conveyer, running parallel with the rails A A, are rails F F, made in the present instance of angle-bars. These rails F F are above the line of the rails A A, and in the present instance the rail F is directly above the rail A.

G is a metal frame suitably braced and having bearings g g on each side, in which are mounted the axles of the flanged wheels h h. The bearing-face of the rails is preferably on an incline, so that when the wheel 0 is traversed from the rail A to the rail F it will have a full bearing on said rail, and the rail F is preferably arranged to conform to the rail F.

On the frame G is a curved channel H,made, preferably, of a casting, having flanges 7L 7t and curved from a point y, Fig. 1, at the rail F to a point 11 over the line of the bucket D and back again to the point 1] at the rail F. The channel is of sufficient Width for the wheel 0 to travel in, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and the curve is so proportioned that the bucket will be gradually tipped as the wheel 0 passes through the channel 1-1.

At each end of the rail F is a switch-rail F (Shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.) The switch-rail is pivoted at f to the rail F and is arranged to be turned down upon the rail A, and the rail F is such a distance above the rail A that when the switch-rails are raised, as shown in Fig. 2, the conveyer will travel under the rail F and the buckets will not be discharged; but if it is desired to discharge the buckets at this point the switch-rail is turned down, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the wheels 0 of each bucket will be transferred from the rail A up the inclined switch-rail F upon the rail F, and as the curved channel-rail H is in line with the rail F the wheel 0 will be transferred from the rail F to the channel-rail H, and this channel-rail being curved, as described and shown, the movement of the wheel 0 along the channel-rail will gradually tip the bucket to the position shown in Fig. 45, so as to discharge its contents. By a continued movement of the conveyer the wheel passes from the channel to the rail F and from the rail F to the rail A, so that the bucket will assume its position again, as shown in Fig. 3. By raising the bucket to the rail F the bucket is in position to be more readily tipped at the curved channel-rail H, and this channel-rail can therefore be made abrupt, as it takes very little power to overbalance the bucket to discharge it.

By mounting the frame G, which carries the channel-rail II, on the Wheels h h the channel-rail can be moved to any point desired on the rails F F, so that if the conveyer is used to load material into bins the rails F F can be the length of the bins and the frame G can be moved along the bins to discharge the material carried by the buckets into any bin desired.

The above-described invention is of the same type as that described by me in an application for patent filed February 6, 1901, Serial No. 46,218, and in whichIhave broadly claimed a horizontal conveyer consisting of a chain with buckets or carriers and means for turning the buckets on the chain to any predetermined point.

By this invention I support the chain on suitable rails directly and support the buckets through the chains, the chains being simply an endless series of trucks, the inner end of each bucket, however, being supported on the guide-rail, and I provide a tipping means which can be moved to any point desired without discharging the buckets.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a chain, a carrier therefor, buckets having one or more brackets pivoted to the chain, each bucket having a bottom extending from a point above the chain to one side thereof, a bracket secured to the inner end of the bucket, a wheel carried by the bucket, and a rail upon which the wheel travels, the outer end of the bucket being inclined and the inner end of the bucket being on the same incline as the outer end of the bucket, substantially as described.

2. The combination in an endless chain made up of a series of links, means for supporting the said chain, a series of buckets pivoted to the chain, a rail for supporting the bucket on one side of the chain, a second rail mounted above the first rail, a switch for transferring the bucket from the lower to the upper rail, and a discharge device for tipping the-bucket, substantially as described.

3. The combination of an endless chain, supports therefor, buckets pivoted to the chain, a wheel on the inner end of each bucket, a rail on which the wheel travels so as to support the bucket on one side of the chain, a movable discharge device consisting of a frame mounted on longitudinal rails, and a curved channel-rail, with means for transferring the wheel of each bucket from the supporting-rail to the curved channel-rail, substantially as described.

4. The combination of two rails arranged side by side, an endless chain B, brackets depending from the chain, wheels having their axles mounted in the brackets, said wheels arranged to travel on the rails, a series of buckets pivoted to the chain so as to swing laterally on the chain, brackets on the inner end of each bucket, a wheel carried by each bracket, a rail A upon which the Wheels travel so that the load is carried by the rails A and A, rails F and F, a frame mounted on the said rails F, F, a curved rail mounted on the frame, switch-rails for transferring the wheels from the rail A to the rail F, so that the wheels of the buckets will travel on the rails F, and on the curved rail to turn the buckets on their pivots and discharge the same, sub stantially as described.

5. The combination of an endless chain, a support therefor, buckets longitudinally pivoted on the chain, a rail supporting the inner end of each bucket, a rail mounted above the said supporting-rail, switch-rails for transferring the buckets from the supporting-rail to the upper rail, a frame longitudinally movable, and a channeled tipping-rail carried by the said frame and arranged to turn each bucket on the chain to the discharge position, substantially as described.

6. The combination of an endless chain made up of a series of links, wheels mounted on each link of the chain, two rails upon which the wheels travel, a bucket pivoted to each link of the chain, a wheel mounted on the inner end of each bucket, a rail upon which the wheel travels so that the load is supported by the three rails, rails parallel with the supporting-rails, a frame having wheels arranged to travel on the said rails, a curved tipping-rail carried by the frame,

switch-rails at each end of the rail directly above the single supporting-rail so that the wheels at the rear end of the buckets will travel first on the supporting-rail, then upon the rail directly above, the supporting-rail, and then upon the tipping-rail to the dis charge-point, causing the contents of the buckets to be discharged, and back again to the supporting-rails, substantially as described.

7. The combination of anendless chain made up of a series of links, a bucket pivoted to each link, each bucket having one or more brackets, bushings on the linksupon which the brackets are mounted, said bushings made in two parts coupled together, substantially as described.

8. The combination in an endless-chain couveyer, of a chain made up of a series of links pivoted together, the links being quadrangular in cross-section, a two-part bushing on each link, each part having a flange and a square opening adapted to the square link and means for coupling the parts together, a bucket, and a bracket on the bucket mounted on the bushing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES lVLDODGE.

Witnesses:

WILL. A. BARR, J os. H. KLEIN. 

